Hummus

Recipe and pic courtesy of Shauna Yousef 

Made by her 11 year old! “She did it all on her own and it tastes better than any restaurants”

Ingredients:

-1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas)

-1/4 cup lemon juice

-1/4 cup tahini

-2 tbsp olive oil

-1 garlic clove minced

-1 tsp cumin

-Salt to taste

-Paprika to garnish

-2 to 3 tbsp water

Recipe: 

In food processor, mix tahini and lemon juice for 30 seconds, scrape down sides, mix another 1 min. Add garlic, cumin, salt oil. Mix for 30 secs, scrape sides, mix for another min. Add 1/2 chickpeas, mix for 1 min, scrape sides, add other half of chickpeas, mix for additional 1 to 2 mins til smooth. It'll be thick, so add 2-3 tbsp of water til desired texture.

Sprinkle top with paprika.

Our Family's Chicken Pastina Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup diced chicken breast (rotisserie is convenient) 

4 large carrots, sliced

1/2 box Pastina Pasta

64 ounces of  prepared Chicken broth (or one large can)

2 tsp minced onions   (optional)

1 TBS Parmesan cheese

2 tsp Parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions: 

In a pot saute the onions (if you are using them) in a tbs of olive oil for a few mins until translucent. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until slightly soft.  

Pour in the Pastina and continue to boil about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, parsley, cheese and salt and pepper to taste, turn the temp down to low to slightly simmer. Put the lid on, wait a few minutes and then, soups on!

**Some ideas**

 When I make soups with any pasta lately I have been cooking the pasta separately and then adding it to each serving. The pasta tends to swell up and make all the leftover soup starchy and also absorbs all of the broth. If this happens, you can just add more water to thin it out and test for flavor with salt and pepper. Even adding a bullion cube if necessary. It's easier to keep the pasta separate unless you don't intend on having leftovers :-)

Shauna Yosef's Banana Bread Muffins (via Pinterest)

INGREDIENTS:

4 large very ripe bananas mashed

1 egg (beaten)

½ cup sugar (you could use more if you like them REALLY sweet but the bananas are sweet enough)

⅓ cup butter, melted

1½ cups plain all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda 

½ teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping (not necessary! but it's what I made)

½ cup plain flour

¼ cup brown sugar

½ stick (57 grams) cold butter

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F. Mash bananas and add the lightly beaten egg, sugar and butter and mix well to combine and set aside. In another bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and whisk well. Add nuts or chocolate or whatever add-ins you want to the dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until nearly all the flour has disappeared. Overmixed muffins are tough.Pour into greased cupcake pans (add streusel if you wish) and bake for about 20 minutes. Touch the tops and if they spring back, they're done.

Streusel Topping

Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until it's streuselly. (or crumbly) If you don't have a processor, a fork works just fine - or your fingers.

Lentils with Beef and Vegetables

Ingredients: 

2-3lbs of beef sirloin, cut into small chunks

5 large carrots, sliced

4 celery stalks, sliced 

1 large white onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 bag of lentils

2 quarts of beef stock

4 TBS tomato paste

3 TBS Worshishire sauce

2 Bay leaves

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Rinse and drain the lentils out very well in a colandar.

Put a pot of water on to boil with salt added.  Cook the lentils for 10-15 until they are soft but have a little bite. Drain, put back in the pot, on warm and put the lid on.

In a large heavy bottom pan or dutch oven, brown the meat in olive oil until browned. Remove the meat from pan and add in the vegetables. Add salt and pepper and mix in with the oil/juices. Cook until onions are translucent and veggies begin to brown. Add in the tomato paste. Blend in with the veggies with a wooden spoon. 

Throw in bay leaves and pour in the beef stock and Worshishire sauce.  Bring to a low boil, add the meat back in, simmer with the lid on for a good hour. 

Check the tenderness of the meat and carrots and taste for any needed salt, pepper etc...

Some people will add the lentils right into the pot, but I keep the cooked lentils on warm in a seperate pot and put a few spoonfuls of them in the bowl and top with the hot broth, and put the meat and veggies over them. I do this also with any noodle soups and any other soups with pasta.  

Baked Salmon with Red Pepper Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2-3 Salmon filets

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 tbs butter

1 tbs evoo

1/2 cup half and half  

(I used fat free 1/2 and 1/2)

1/2 Tbs minced garlic

1 Tbs chopped parsley

1/2 Tbs chopped shallots

pinch of red pepper flakes

Black Pepper

Salt 

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a medium saute' pan, heat the butter and olive oil.  Add in all of the ingredients 

except the half and half. Let cook, stirring often, until softened. Slowly pour and 

stir in the half and half. Lower temp to let simmer and let reduce, about 15 minutes.  

Brush the filets with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper 

and place in a glass bake dish sprayed with non-stick spray. 

Bake for 15 minutes, then spoon the red pepper sauce over the top and baked 

another 15 minutes. 

Italian Style Beef Soup

Ingredients: 

1 large steak, cut into small pieces

½ large red onion, chopped

6 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 cans or 1 bag frozen whole green beans

2 cans or 1 bag of frozen sliced carrots

2 48 oz cans beef broth

1 lb mini shells or ditalini pasta

3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Italian seasoning, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

In a large soup pot on high, cook the beef and onions in the olive oil until browned, then add in the garlic. Saute' 5 minutes or so.

Season well, add diced tomatoes, stir to combine. Add in the beef broth, cover and bring to a full boil. Lower temp and and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Check for seasoning again, then bring back to a boil and add in the pasta. Cook as directed on package. Add in the carrots and string beans and lower to simmer.

Serve with grated cheese on top.

This makes a very large pot, cut everything in half to make less. 

Cream of Tomato and Basil Soup

Recipe and pic courtesy of Valerie Alava Ross

Ingredients:

2 large cans of San Marzano Tomatoes 

1 med onion diced

Bunch of fresh chopped basil

Squeeze of agave nectar (or a couple tbsp reg table sugar)

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan (add more to taste)

Salt & pepper to taste

Olive oil

Splash of cream

Directions: 

Sauté onion in a bit of olive oil in a heavy stock pot. Cook till tender, 3 - 4 minutes. 

Add San Marzano tomatoes. Cook on med heat for 5 - 10 minutes. With a stick blender, mix the soup in the pan till the tomatoes are broken down. Can use a reg blender if need be. A potato masher will work in a pinch, but soup will be more chunky. 

Add Parmesan, a big splash of heavy cream and chopped basil. Mix well. Add salt, pepper and more Parmesan to taste. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and fresh basil.

Lisa's Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Vegetables

Recipe and picture courtesy of Lisa Miles O'Connor

Recipe:

I used a 3.5 lb eye round roast and did a dry rub around the whole roast of black pepper, salt, onion powder and garlic powder mix. Two medium onions and cubed them to bite size, 12 yukon gold potatoes and cubed them and used the already peeled small bag of carrots about 3/4 of a small bag. I mixed the veggies and put a few layers on the bottom and then I put the roast in the middle of the crock and surrounded it with the rest of the veggies and potatoes. I used about 3/4 of a largest can of beef broth to bring it to about 2 1/2 inches from the top of the crock. I turned on high for 2 hours, then on low for 8 more hours. I took out the roast, veggies and potatoes and kept the broth in the crock and added flour to thicken the broth to a gravy with a whisk. Put the veggie/potatoes back in crock on high for 10 minutes while carving the roast and served. The recipe I saw read 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low but I left it in a little longer for a more well done roast. It was so tender and had enough for the next few nights as well. Hope you like it.

Tina's Home Made Hummus

Recipe and pictures courtesy of Tina Giongetti Alessandro

So easy so delicious!  I followed this:

1/3 cup tahini

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, halved

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pinch paprika

16 oz can chick peas

If to thick I added 2 tablespoons water 

Your going to love it

The Barefoot Contessa’s Mustard-Roasted Fish

 

Ingredients:

4 (8-ounce) fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces crème fraîche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

 Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.) Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the crème fraîche, two mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it’s barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it’s done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top

 

 

 

Peter's Sherry Shrimp

Recipe and photo courtesy of Peter Francis Battaglia

 

Wild US caught shrimp, dusted with seasoned flour

Sauté till almost done in olive oil

Add more olive oil, a sliced clove of garlic, and deglaze the pan with some sherry

Reduce, then add the shrimp back and lightly cook on both sides for 1 min per side

Add a small pat of unsalted butter, mix around in the pan

Squeeze in some fresh lemon

Season with a little sea salt, black pepper and some chopped parsley

Serve on crostini.

Pollo saltado... Peruvian-style stir fried chicken

 

 

 

 

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breast, skinned, bonned, and cut in thin slices
• 2 garlic cloves finely diced
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 red onion cut in thick slices
• 2 tomatoes cut in thick slices
• 1 seeded and ribbed aji amarillo chili pepper cut in thin slices (you can substitute with 1 tablespoon of aji­ amarillo paste, or with any chili pepper you can find)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 cups French fries
• White rice as a side dish

Instructions

1. Season the chicken stripes with salt and pepper.
2. Put a wok or a pan over very high heat. When it is smoking, add the oil, let smoke again, add and saute the chicken, a few slices at a time so they don't steam but remain golden instead (about 10 minutes, depending on how strong the flame is).
3. In a home stove it´s almost impossible to get that kind of heat, besides, the fire alarm will alert the Firefighters and all the experience will be a mess.
4. Add garlic, onion, tomato, chili pepper, and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the soy sauce and vinegar on the sides of the pan and mix everything. Season with more salt and pepper.
5. Take off the heat, add chopped cilantro and serve at once with French fries and white rice.

Shrimp Scampi

Serves 4

 

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
5 cloves garlic or shallots, sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined, tail on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine

Juice and zest of one Lemon

4 thin slices of lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

 

 

 

 

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic or shallots, and red pepper flakes (if using) about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley, lemon zest and slices. *I like it very Lemony, use less if you prefer*.  Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately over linguine, thin spaghetti, couscous, or rice with a little more olive oil drizzled on top.

Moist Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey

1 ½  cups plain panko crumbs

2 eggs

½ cup milk

1 packet onion soup mix

3 Tbs tomato paste

½ large white onion, chopped   

1 tsp thyme

1 Tbs butter 

3 Tbs parsley

Salt, pepper, paprika

Olive oil

Directions:

In a small pan,  cook the onions with the butter, a little salt and pepper until translucent.

Mix the rest of the ingredients together with the onions , reserving  1 Tbs of the tomato paste. 

Form into loaf in a bake dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  Spread the tomato paste and 1 Tbs olive oil over the top of the loaf evenly.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes- 1 hour or until just starting to brown slightly around the edges. 

Also, during the cooking process, I poured a ½ cup of water all over the top 3 times. It absorbed right into it and it made  it a very moist meatloaf! 

Grilled Chicken Fennel Soup

Recipe courtesy of: Kim Forni

Ingredients:

2 butterflied chicken breasts, pounded thin

2 large boneless , skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

2 fennel bulbs (stalks with green included)

1/2 red onion, sliced

8 cloves garlic whole or sliced

1 leek (soft part only)

1/2 c. white wine

1 jalapeno, minced

1 stalk lemon grass

Lemon zest from 1 lemon and 1/2 the juice..

or to taste

1/2 lb gourmet cherry tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)

1/2 of 10-oz package fresh spinach

1/4 cup cilantro4 quarts chicken stock

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Heat some olive oil in a soup pot. Pound thin and marinade chicken breasts while doing the prep work. Then grill till done.Remove stalks from fennels . Then slice the fennel bulbs in about 1″ thick slices. Add fennel, onion and garlic to oil and sautee a couple of minutes. Cut the leek into 2″ long sticks and add in. Grate in lemon zest.

Add stock.

Cut off the dark green “grass” part of the lemon grass & leave only the soft stalk. Slit it down the middle and stir in the soup with the minced jalapeno and bring to a boil and lower flame.Season with salt and white pepper. Add white wine.

In the meantime, grill chicken breasts, season with salt and black pepper, and cut into strips.Once the fennel gets soft, slice tomatoes in half and add to pot. Now remove the lemon grass stalk from the soup.Toss in chopped cilantro and spinach cook for about 5 minutes.Place a few pieces of grilled chicken in bottom of serving bowl, pour soup over and serve.

Mojito Lime Chicken wraps

Marinade: Extra virgin olive oil, chilli pepper, chipotle pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, orange zest, lime zest some lime juice, some vinegar and a dash of sugar. Marinate boneless chicken cutlets in a zip lock with the marinade for a few hours, cooked them up and sliced them into grilled tortillas with some crunchy lettuce. The flavors were unbelievable!

Chicken (or Pork) Scarpiello

Ingredients

6 boneless chicken cutlets
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
1 egg, beaten with 2 TBS water
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
½ cup sliced black olives
1 cup whole tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper

2 tsp fresh or dried parsley

Directions

Season the flour with paprika, salt and pepper. Dip cutlets in egg, then dredge into the flour, shake off excess.

In 10 inch skillet, heat oil and butter. Add chicken. Cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides (3 to 4 minutes). Using tongs, remove chicken from skillet. Set aside and keep warm.

To same skillet, add garlic. Sauté until softened (1 minute). Add water, wine, broth mix, and seasonings. Mix well. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by 1/2 (4-5 minutes).

Return chicken to skillet, add in tomatoes and olives, cook until sauce is thick and chicken is heated through (2 to 3 minutes) toss in the parsley and serve over thin spaghetti.

Grilled Chipotle Lime Fish Tacos

Recipe courtesy of “Healthy Home Recipes”

http://healthyhomerecipes.com/recipedetail.aspx?&id=24671

Marinade:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs distilled white vinegar
2 tbs fresh lime juice
2 tsp lime zest
1 1/2 tsp honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp seafood seasoning
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste
1 lb tilapia fillets, cut into chunks

Dressing:
1 (8 oz) container light sour cream
1/2 cup adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
2 tbs fresh lime juice
2 tsp lime zest
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp seafood seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
1 (10 oz) package tortillas
3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 small head cabbage, cored and shredded
2 limes, cut in wedges

Instructions:
To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until blended. Place the tilapia in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.

To make the dressing, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning. Add salt, and pepper in desired amounts. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate. Set grate 4 inches from the heat. Remove fish from marinade, drain off any excess and discard marinade. Grill fish pieces until easily flaked with a fork, turning once, about 9 minutes. Assemble tacos by placing fish pieces in the center of tortillas with desired amounts of tomatoes, cilantro, and cabbage; drizzle with dressing. To serve, roll up tortillas around fillings, and garnish with lime wedges.

Peter's Roasted Zucchini

Recipe courtesy of Peter Francis Battaglia

Roasted zucchini with allspice and Greek Olive Oil...marinated in fresh lemon juice, chopped fresh mint, garlic, sea salt, black pepper..topped with Feta
.

Chicken and Black Bean Nachos

Recipe courtesy of: Paula Berglund Blum

chips of choice - mine were white corn
cheese of choice - mine was Sharp Cheddar
Garnishes were chopped vidalia, pickled jalapenoes, and sour cream

Chicken and Black Bean Mixture:

1 chcken breast, baked and pulled off the bone
1 c black beans cooked in chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 chopped pasapilla pepper, seeded and deveined
3 T picante
1 t cumin
1 t garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Stir to combine and left cold to warm when I served it

Avacado Salsa:

1 large tomato, diced
1 large avacado, diced
1/2 vidalia, diced
1 large clove garlic, chopped
Juice of one lime
1 T tasting olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Green onion for garnish

Assemble and enjoy!